Push 2 Updates: New Slicing Modes and 16 Velocities Drum Rack Layout

Since the course was published, there have been a number of updates to Live and Push. I will be covering all of these updates in 3 in-depth, to-the-point videos, so that you can harness the new powers Push 2 brings to your workflow.

Check out the first video below, which covers the new Slicing Modes for Simpler and the new 16 Velocities Pad Layout for Drum Racks. And stayed tune during the next few weeks for parts 2 and 3.

If you enjoyed this video then I'm sure you will enjoy the full course, Ableton Push 2 Jumpstart. Head over to Warp Academy to bring your Ableton Push 2 skills to expert level!

I got early access to the Ableton Push Jumpstart course, and wanted to share my opinion of it. I’m not quite done with the entire course, but felt I was far enough to have something helpful to say about it.

First, I’ll say that I previously had Brian (AfroDJMac) as an instructor at Berklee Online for the Advanced Ableton Live course, and it was good to see he is the presenter for this course. I found Brian very knowledgeable and helpful, so I was looking forward to his presentation style for these videos.

The course starts pretty much from zero, for those who have barely ever touched their Push. I doubt that will be most anyone from WarpAcademy, but it never hurts to go through all the basics again. Fundamentals are good to return to. Brian covers the absolute basics of navigation, loading kits/sounds, how to use the step sequencer, etc. All basic but critical stuff, and he covers it quickly, concisely and in an easy-to-follow style.

Speaking of style, there are several different styles of video here. Occasionally Brian is on camera, discussing something directly to you the viewer. Other times (and this is true of most of the videos) we have the expected overhead view of a push, and we can see Brian’s hands interacting with the device. Thanks to the new display on Push 2 as well as a high res recording, this makes everything extraordinarily clear. You can read everything perfectly, and it’s very clear what’s going on. Occasionally showing Ableton is required, and the Push video will move over or up/down to make room for whatever needs to be seen in Ableton. Lastly, there are times when the lesson is taught via bullet points to one side of the Push, and Brian just “goes for it” and makes some music, while the bullets highlight to illustrate what he’s doing. These are fun to watch because they are more “real” and illustrative of what you can actually do musically, when you’re not explaining everything as you go.

I find it refreshing to have theses different styles of videos, as it helps to keep my attention. It wasn’t completely monotonous with the same type of visual reference over and over. The changes in style help to break up the pace, and I appreciate them.

Each video is fairly short and to the point, there’s not a lot of exposition or rambling about stuff. Everything is pretty well focused, and the only times we aren’t directly digging deep into the push itself, are the handful of “talk to the camera” videos which are basically Brian setting up the next section of the course. The content is quite thorough, even going so far as to cover the “User Mode” of Push which basically turns it into a generic MIDI controller if you want to do more custom stuff with it. Brian covers everything that is critical to know about using the Push in a production environment, from basic beat creation to sampling to automation and mixing. I think the one area he doesn’t touch on much is live performance, but that would probably be an entire course unto itself and for me personally at least, Push is a studio production device and not a live performance device.

There’s also going to be a live webinar in a few weeks, which should be a great time to pick Brian’s brain about Push and Live. I’m looking forward to that but obviously can’t comment on it yet.

Like a lot of others I’m sure, I don’t get to do music full time, so these videos fit right in whenever I have a chunk of spare time. A few minutes here and there, and I get a quick infusion of knowledge. When I have more time, I actually sit at my Push and really follow along, just to make sure I’ve caught all the nuances of the device (and there are many!) I appreciate the concise and easy-to-follow nature of the videos and Brian’s presentation style, as they fit into my busy life quite well. Brian speaks at a medium pace and very clearly as well, so it’s not frustrating that he talks too slow or fast, or mumbles, etc. It’s all very clear and high quality.

Anyone who has a Push 2 but maybe hasn’t gone very far beyond the basics with it, should get a lot out of this course and I think it is well worth having in your digital library.

AfroDJMac is the work of Brian Funk, a New York-based musician, producer, and Ableton Certified Trainer. He's a writer, podcaster, and curious sound designer who loves to share his knowledge about music production and the creative process.